The Hit Box: Gaming as a job?

2015-01-17

First and foremost, it’s good to have some things back in order some what. I missed blogging, I haven’t been doing this very long yet and I watch with awe and humbled senses that people would actually take the time to read what I post. I thank you all for that and hope I can continue to bring the best of whatever it is I can post for your reading (and sometimes viewing) entertainment.

NOW, let us get down to business!

This is going to be one of my taboo/controversial topic type coverage that I’ve decided to call The Hit Box.

I’ve seen some very talented, humble and dedicated people who have made video games their field of profession. But on the flip side of that I have also seen and played along side people who have the same profession but do not have the same mindset. I watch quiet a few people on YouTube (Angry Joe, Maximilian and theRadBrad and HERO to name a few.) some people provide walk through, reviews, lore and all sorts of other helpful content.They all have a very focused personality and seem to always cater to their fans. This is a good thing. However, what I’ve run into last week was a guy who just didn’t care about who he was playing with and sure as hell didn’t appreciate the people he was playing with.

You have to care about the audience

I’m not a professional gamer (PGIP-Pro gamer in progress…If you count starting from the bottom) but even I know that when it comes to anything involving people, you need to have a great personality. Being someone who focuses on content that they simply want to put out no matter what people want is not going to work towards bettering your views. People don’t want to be force-fed crap that isn’t pertaining to their interest. You could upload or post about one thing, lets say Xbox games, and completely lead them astray by talking about how much the government sucks. The potential to gain an audience is there but you need to find something to connect to them with. I’ve seen gamers who will play a round of CoD and actually talk about what is going on in their life of problems that people may be going through. This is a good tactic because it not only gives people something to watch but it allows people to interact with the gamer. Then you have some people who just feel like they are their for your pleasure and nothing more. Almost like they are a necessity in your life and if you are not there to watch then you can “F off”. Some how these people are able to find subscribers due to their skill and their skill only in a game. While this is great, people want fresh content. Doing the same thing over and over again will cause your subs to forget about you especially if you are not working to keep them entertained. Relatable content is king and so is catering to the people who take time to watch, read, and respond to what you are producing.

A little respect goes a long way

The saying goes treat people how you want to be treated. If you have a channel or are streaming your game play with other people who have no affiliation to your product, the least you could do is respect them for helping you provide content. They are playing for the enjoyment and are not getting paid while you are. Cussing someone out just because they are not doing what you ask them to is not the way to get views or accomplish another successful post. It is already bad enough we live in a society where customer service is almost, if not yet, dead so the last thing anyone wants to do is sit back and relax just listen to an ass. Maximilian and Angry Joe both notice and interact with the audience in a positive light despite the RAGE and strings of cussing (which is actually quiet funny) they always show respect and acknowledgement to those they play with and those that watch their content. Saying that the people who play with you are replaceable and do not mean anything on a scale of worldly placement doesn’t do any justice for your or your content. It’s not going to put a tear in your bucket of sympathy so you might as well respect those who are using their time to make you look good. Talk with them, question them, answer them, hear them out and allow them to help mold your content into a better promotion.

IT’S YOUR JOB

The last thing I want to cover deals with being humble. If it’s your job to beta/alpha, farm, play games for a living DO NOT take it for granted. Like any job it can be stressful or repetitive but never forget the fact that you could be doing something that is always worse than what you are doing now. It doesn’t matter if you have 16 alt accounts to run raids with or have to post new content on your You Tube or Twitch account, it’s your job. Complaining about it to the people who support you does no good. The only relevent time I can remember that complaining did any good was when You Tube tightened down on their content laws. Many people who made a living off of the content they posted where being hit with ridiculous strikes and were having their accounts put in jeopardy of termination. The community will support you because they care about what you have to say and what you provide. They will find ways to keep their favorite producer available as long as you remember that they are the audience and are their for what you put out. If you didn’t want to do anything involving games then don’t do anything in that field in the first place. Never let your passion turn into a chore and remember to approach your job with professionalism. It’s a game, no matter how much work you have to do remember that and remember to have fun.

Thanks for reading and taking to time to hear my thoughts.If you are interested in more words of gaming you should check out my th3r3b1rth.